What is the difference between flounder and sole?

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Quick Answer

The difference between sole and flounder is that the best quality sole come from deep waters around Europe, whereas flounder rarely venture into the depths. Sole are edible flatfish in the flounder family, and both are sea fishes.

The most heavily fished type of flounder is the European flounder, which reaches a maximum length of 20 inches. The wildly popular Dover sole also grows up to 20 inches long, but other species are smaller. For example, sand soles only grow up to 14 inches, and the maximum length of the ceteau sole is a mere 10 inches.

Flounder is Australia's largest and most profitable seafood export, while European waters also have large flounder populations. Many species of sole and flounder have culinary applications, and their similar texture and flavor renders them interchangeable. These fish feature prominently in French cuisine, and Scandinavians frequently smoke and dry them. Sole and flounder are effective substitutes for turbot, brill, dab and plaice.

Most species of flounder and sole have both eyes on their right side. Newborn flounder have eyes on both sides, but within days, the left eye migrates to the right side. This side is a dark, variegated brownish-green. The left side, also called the blind side, is white.

Related Questions

The blobfish is found at depths from 2,000 to 4,000 feet off the coast of Australia. With pressures up to 120 times greater than the water surface, the animals are rarely observed by humans. As of 2014, a lot is still unknown about this unique species.

The freshwater flounder, Trinectes maculatus, is more commonly known as the hogchoker. It is native to the Atlantic coast of the United States. Contrary to its nickname, the freshwater flounder lives in brackish water, as it requires salt.

A sole fish is a type of flatfish that lives half-buried in the muddy bottom of the ocean. As an adaptation, both of the fish's eyes are on the topside of its body. These fish are prized for their flesh, with common sole being the most sought after.

The heaviest flounder ever caught was 22 pounds, 7 ounces, landed in Montauk, N.Y., on Sept 15, 1975, by Charles Nappi. The species was a summer flounder, Platichthys flesus. This type of flounder ranges from South Carolina to Maine in the western Atlantic.